After having a massive breakout, I started to search for more natural makeup, and ended up ordering Alima Pure's Satin Matte Foundation. There are so many shades to choose from, and there's actually a shade that suits my NC5-10 skin; I use neutral 1, but could probably get away with neutral 0 too.

I have acne scars and lots of redness and PIH, but this foundation covers it amazingly along with the Alima Pure concealer. The foundation doesn't cover my very dark PIH left from acne completely, but it covers any lighter redness amazingly, which is perfect for me because I hate my makeup to look like a mask.

I use it without primer or setting powder and it probably lasts 4-5 hours without getting too shiny, and I have a very oily t-zone so this is some kind of miracle.

I do find it gets cakey if I do put a thicker layer than I need on - but I've discovered that I need less than 1/4 tsp to cover the whole of my face which I put on in two very sheer layers, and then go back with a concealer brush and dot it on any blemishes.

The routine I use of their concealer, then foundation on my whole face, then foundation dotted on my blemishes covers any small whiteheads I may have so that you can't see them unless using my 10x magnification mirror. This is the first concealer/foundation I've found that does this while still looking natural.

Sometimes my skin is extremely dry/flaky in places from using benzoyl peroxide on blemishes, and I find that even if I use of good moisturiser beforehand, this foundation does highlight the dryness a little.

Despite the few things that aren't perfect about this foundation, I've given it 5 stars because it's pale enough for me without having to mix it (hallelujah!) and it hasn't broken me out whatsoever in the few weeks of using it. In fact, my skin seems to be calmer and less inflamed since I started using it - probably because I'm not putting loads of nasty chemicals on it anymore. I love it so much I've ordered more of their products to try from their website.

I'm on a hunt for the perfect MMU and currently deciding whether I want to order the full size of this. It's definitely better than Bare Minerals and Laura Mercier MMU but not perfect.

Shades: Thumbs up. very intricate color system. Not just your standard yellow vs. pink undertones, but they delve into golden, olive, etc. Beware that the Golden line is extremely yellow. You might want to order a sample of the same shade level in Warm or Olive as well, in case the Golden line is too Simpsons-like on you. I am a neutral leaning NC25 and Warm 3 is probably the best shade for me, although I liked the Golden 4 as a neutralizer for my ruddy face.

Wear: Thumbs down. Although the finish is more or less matte, it controlled oil poorly and moreover did not react well to the oil that broke out on my face. I guess I should've expected this with a powdery consistency, but it got cakey and almost...dough-like (gross!). Looked especially unflattering around the sides of the nostrils. My attempts to touch up just made it worse. This is not a very buildable MMU.

Finish, coverage & consistency: On the fence about this one. It's matte and more on the dry side, but I could see a bit of the satin texture that the company claims. Looked natural enough to me. Coverage is medium-full. Took me 3-4 layers to cover my freckles and scars, and after that it looked cakey. Because this is drier than Bare Minerals, it's hard to get it to adhere to the face without a primer (what's the point of using POWDER foundation if you have to use a liquid/gel primer underneath?). Without using a primer, this did not accentuate pores but it didn't really blur them either. This did not work well with any blush that I applied. For some reason, pigmented powder on pigmented powder doesn't seem to go together well. My blush appeared very patchy no matter what I tried.

I'm still impressed by the color system so I'm not going to dismiss it just yet. I want to try Meow Cosmetics, which apparently has an even more intricate color system. But I get so impatient waiting for these samples to come in the mail from all these companies. Overall, I'd recommend this for those more on the oily side due to the matte finish, although it's not going to hold up well throughout the day.

EDIT: Lowered to two stars. Now I am realizing how much this sucks onto pockmarks and pores. So this is not better than Bare Minerals after all.

After 2 hours: dewy but looks nice, HOWEVER feels greasy and oily (even with the primer &finish powder; without primer was even oilier), my hair would get stuck a little to my face b/c of makeup. Not too pleasant. Felt like makeup transfer with my hands or clothing etc.

After 4+ hours: makeup either melted too much/too absorbed into my pores or rubbed off via transfer that merely 10% of makeup left on my face. Blush was GONE (I put a fair amount of bright Apricot matte blush).

notes: also broke out but will update later to see if it was really due to the makeup.

Recap: like the company b/c it is very professional, the color choices are great but you may still need to mix. :/ the lasting power was short, performance was moderate, and feel was at first nice but then greasy. GREASY is the main take-away here (for me). Sorry alima, I will just use up the samples I purchased but won't be ordering again.

UPDATE: 9.25.13 I have been using this for quite sometime and I am pretty sure this breaks me out. Tiny whitehead bumps everywhere. That turn into inflamed pimples. So for the price, inconvenience of online-only availability, the hassle of shaking the powder and swirl and tap and apply (I love mineral makeup but after using it for so long prefer pressed ones), and the underperformance of product I just do not want to repurchase. I dont get why it breaks me out, sorry Alima, in theory everything was great. Just not a product for me.

UPDATE: 3.8.14So I went to get a facial yesterday and the esthetician and I were discussing mineral makeup and she told me that mica, if too micro in size will clog skin with large pores, especially combination or oily skin, so she avoids mica in general because mica is just used for luminescence so those with acne prone skin and/or large pores wouldn't want the sheen as this highlights these features, and mica is used as a filler mainly. So it is probably the slightly too small sized mica in Altima makeup that is clogged my pores and made me break out like crazy.....

I wanted to love this, but it wasn't meant to be. I was oily all over within two hours of applying the primer and foundation. The color selection was great and it didn't break me out at all, but I'll be going back to glominerals because of the oiliness.

EDIT:Alright, so I am quite certain this was causing tons of tiny bumps all over my face, especially my forehead, cheekbones, and chin. Which, I guess is pretty much all over my face. At any rate, tons of bumps, itchy ones at that, on my face. When I switched over to a different foundation, they were gone in less than 24 hours. I really liked the natural look this provided. My skin just does not tolerate it. I was hopeful, since this has so few ingredients, that it would work better than all the other mineral foundations I've tried. The search continues...

Original review:I love this powder. It is so light and airy, as though you aren't wearing anything! My skin is very sensitive. VERY. I have to add in one product at a time if I'm trying something new. Previously, I used Jane Iredale's pressed powder mineral foundation, and it quit working for me. I'm so glad I found Alima Pure. I apply with a brush similar to Alima Pure's Kitten brush. The buildable coverage is great for those of us who don't like super-heavy coverage. The new and improved travel lid is brilliant. I live in a humid climate, and this doesn't streak or cake. It melts beautifully into my somewhat oily skin. My only complaint is the color selection, which sounds ludicrous, I know. After much trial, error, and many, many samples, I came to Warm 0 and Warm 1. Warm 0 is a pretty perfect match, but if I apply too much, it gives a whitish cast. I love the additional yellow in Warm 1, but it is either too dark itself or it oxidizes darker on my skin. Honestly, I think it is the latter, as I have this problem with all foundations. Currently, I go back and forth between the two. I have a feeling I'll be ordering a sample of Golden 0 soon to see if that's a good go-between Warm 0 and Warm 1 for me. At any rate, order up some samples if you're not ready to commit to a full-size. Despite my nit-pickiness on the colors, their range color range is something to behold. They are certified pure, cruelty-free, and the customer service is amazing.

When I first found out about Alima Pure, I was intimidated by the color choices. I have always had a lot of trouble determining my undertone. But I honed in on the right shade pretty easily -- thanks to a YouTube video by a natural cosmetics store owner. Dark skinned herself, she said "Almost everyone who walks into my store in LA is Beige 2 or Beige 3." That helped -- sure enough, I am Beige 2. Warm 2 is too yellow, Cool 2 is too pink, and Neutral 2 is a weird ashy shade against my neck. At first I thought Beige 2 might be a bit light, but Beige 3 was a little dirty looking on me. And Bingo! $6.00 on samples, and I had a winner. Beige 2 absolutely disappears into my skin. Wonderful customer service, very good product. It builds up slowly to a nice finish. Sometimes I feel unhappy with the coverage (or is it the staying power?), but that probably means I should have taken a little more time with it in the beginning.

Thank you to all the users on the makeup board who have posted about Alima foundation -- it's a hassle for me to obtain and I wouldn't have bothered without these positive comments. I'm so glad I took the trouble, because it's fantastic.

First of all, the match between Neutral 0 and my winter skin is spot on. I might buy Neutral 1 for the summer. It is a thrill to be considering a shade up from the lightest! Foundation is a real struggle for me, since so many excellent formulas simply don't make a shade anywhere close to my skintone.

It's also longlasting and a lovely finish on my annoying combo skin. I recently tested all my foundations (about seven on the go) and Alima was easily the winner on all counts but coverage. It's fast and easy to apply (I use it with a kabuki, over moisturizer with SPF and concealer for dark areas like under eyes), goes on smoothly and is buildable. It lasts longer than anything else I use without needing touching up with powder -- that includes other mineral foundations, MAC Studio Fix, Revlon Colorstay, MUFE Mat Velvet+. When it does get a little shiny, it doesn't look greasy, just dewy (but I hate dewy, so I use a touch-up powder). It doesn't settle into lines much and doesn't look dry, OR overly shiny, the way some mineral brands can. And for the first time ever, I'm not using a setting powder. It looks fine -- really "satin matte" -- and lasts the same number of hours without. Skipping step is wonderful on rushed days.

I do find the coverage to be about medium with my kabuki, not truly full, though varying the application could change that. I've used it with a concealer brush on spots and it does get closer to full coverage that way. A paddle foundation brush also gives slightly more, but I like the finish and speed of the kabuki much better.

One thing that makes me angry about mineral makeup is the mess but eventually, the good ones like this brand, make a great difference. Having said that and in comparison with the other mineral foundations, I love this product. Make sure you get some samples before ordering. Golden shades were too yellow for me although I am NC30 according to MAC. One huge advantage to this brand is the color range. I found my match to be Olive 3. Who would have known? The point is that while other brands try to put it in a category of either pink or yellow and then by force, you need to stick with the shade, this brand makes more sense. RIP Prescriptive Custom Liquid Foundation was the same but it got discontinued. The other big advantage to this brand is that the minerals do not sit in one area and they spread pretty well. The final look is great and polished and completely natural. Also, the mineral particles are soft and meltable upon application. Overall, this is a great foundation that meets my high standards.

To be fair, I am not the target market for mineral makeup.. large pores, uneven texture, and discoloration to cover. Doesn't cover at all for me, just looks like powder(ery mess when I try to apply more and more)... would be great for more even skin textures, probably the same people who wear tinted moisturizers and look fab in it. :)

For reference, Golden 3 was too yellow or dark for my NC25 skin.. if I had liked the product enough to figure it out, I would order samples in Warm 2 & 3, Golden 2 & 3 and mix and match from there.

Alima is very dry in terms of formula. Better for oily skin / summer. Hard to not look cakey. Cool 1 is a good color match for me. I prefer Meow Cosmetics (Absynnian) or Everyday Minerals (Sandy Fair).